Israeli Premier David Ben Gurion announced smilingly to the press tonight that “an arrangement has been reached on the convoy which is to pass through the Jordan lines to the Israeli-held enclave on Mt. Scopus, just outside Jerusalem. The convoy, carrying gasoline, is expected to proceed to Mt. Scopus tomorrow.
Premier Ben Gurion’s announcement came at the conclusion of a third meeting during the day. Mr. Ben Gurion, flanked by smiling but brisk-mannered Secretary General Dag Hammarskiol and grim faced UN Truce Chief Col. Byron V. Leary, described the meetings to the last two days as “useful discussions.”
A joint communique issued at the end of the day noted that arrangements had been reached for the resumption of convoys to Mt. Scopus and that Mr. Hammarskjold’s attention had been drawn to various concrete questions including: the situation along the Israel-Syrian border the Egyptian detention of the fishing trawler Doron and its crew of six and the Egyptian removal of an Israeli seaman off a neutral merchant vessel passing through the Suez Canal.
After an early morning two-hour private meeting between the Premier and the Secretary General, Mr. Hammarskjold flew to Amman for a 90-minute parley with King Hussein, his Foreign Minister and the Jordan Army Chief of Staff. It is understood that Mr. Hammarskjold and the Jordanians conferred on Jordan’s conditions for allowing a convoy with gasoline to pass to Mt. Scopus and Israel’s insistence upon an extra convoy going through to make up for the one halted two weeks ago. A UN spokesman said that before Mr. Hammarskjold leaves the Middle East he and the Jordanian Foreign Minister will exchange letters outlining the agreement on Mt. Scopus.
Mr. Hammarskjold who was a guest of the Premier at a tea party this afternoon, will stay in Jerusalem tonight. There are conflicting reports whether he will proceed to Damascus, as originally scheduled, or will fly directly back to UN headquarters in New York UN sources insist he will go on to Syria, but the Amman Radio asserted he would end his tour in Jerusalem and return to New York. The Secretary General paid a courtesy call on President Ben Zvi this afternoon.
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